'Crawling down stairs': Vancouver SRO residents with mobility issues want broken elevator fixed

Update: The Portland Tenants Union said on Feb. 10 the Portland Hotel elevator was temporarily fixed on Feb. 7, the day after its organized march.

Tenants of the Portland Hotel, an SRO in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, protested outside the PHS Community Services Society office on Monday to demand repairs to the building elevator that broke down eight months ago. 

Amid shouts of "tenant power" and "elevators for the people," residents marched to the PHS office to share letters on how the broken elevator has left some people abandoned in their rooms or dragging themselves up and down stairs. 

Ben Ger, an organizer with the Vancouver Tenants Union, says more than 80 per cent of the building's tenants have signed letters urging the PHS to take immediate action to fix the elevator.

"For some people, it means throwing your wheelchair down the stairs ahead of you … and crawling down those concrete steps up to nine floors," he said.

"For [other] people, it means not getting around, just being stuck in your room for months on end."

Ger says many of the residents have disabilities and mobility issues, with several unable to leave their rooms to even attend the march. 

The hotel has nine floors and 88 units of non-profit housing. Ger says not having an elevator can have deadly consequences in a building full of people with health problems.

"A few of them had heart conditions, which was clearly related to climbing the stairs," he said, adding one death was an overdose that a functioning elevator could have prevented. 

"You can't have the same types of response times that are needed to stop people from overdosing or to save them with naloxone [if responders have to take the stairs]."

Residents speak out

Richard Pellegier, 75, says he's forced to leave his walker in the basement and trek up eight floors to his room, which has "taken a toll on [his] hips and back."

"I try not to go up and down too often, but I have to go to appointments and things almost three times a day. It's hard on the body," he said, adding it's been difficult getting updates from building management.

"It feels like [PHS doesn't] really care about the tenants of the building. They only care when they get their rent."

Victor Dickinson uses a wheelchair after an accident broke both his legs and feet. 

"It's so hard getting up and down the stairs … I got to wait for staff members to show up at work, if they show up, to help me get up or get my wheelchair," he said. 

Mark Tobisson, 68, says he is one of two residents who was paid to power wash the stairwell in 2005. He claims the stairs have not been cleaned in a while.

"Ninety people using the stairs for almost a year. It's filthy," he said, adding march organizers have heard of other PHS buildings having similar issues with broken elevators.  

'As quickly as possible'

During the protest, PHS senior executives came out to talk to the residents. One said the organization has been working on the issue for months.

"It's not something we'd sit on. We literally have experts working on this day and night."

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said repairs were initially projected to happen in April, as some parts were unavailable due to supply chain issues. But some of the material arrived sooner.

"We were able to get some parts much faster. In fact, we had the elevator working for a short period today [Monday]. But there still seem to be challenges."

Kahlon says residents with mobility issues were offered alternative housing when the elevator first broke and again on Monday.  

"Our hope is to get this elevator fixed up as quickly as possible because we know it's a challenge for some residents."